Owning a piece of the same homestead that my ancestors settled makes me a steward of this earth. Like my parents and grandparents, there are days when I am sweaty and exhausted from good honest work in the soil; there are days when I sit in my cushioned chair on the deck admiring the clouds. I am fortunate to have ”one foot in the city” and “one foot on the farm.”

One Foot

Friday, August 5, 2016

Reading Children's Classics as an Adult

I
attended a Kansas rural school in the era just before such schools were closed
and consolidated with larger districts. Out of that education was born a girl who learned to love books and
learned that the way into and upward in the world was through books and
education.

Even
from a child’s eyes, I could see resources were limited in our classroom.We had dictionaries and encyclopedias in the
bookcase.We had textbooks for all
grades, but I don’t remember having any books or magazines to go along with the
textbooks.

Our
library was a library trunk that the teacher checked out from the larger
library system in the county seat, and although I didn’t need an incentive to
read, there was a reading achievement reward for reading a certain number of
books during the year.No problem. I
read them all, regardless of level.I’m
sure I enjoyed each one.

Then, a few years ago, after making
friends with my neighbor, a children’s’ librarian, I was introduced to the
“Recommended Children’s Book List” made up of children’s literature that is now
considered “classic.” How disappointed I was to find I hadn’t read the great
majority of those books.And so, last
year I began checking out children’s books for me.I discovered a world of imagination that I am
so sorry I missed as a child; and a world of writing skill that I wish I’d
found earlier.

I have been consistently impressed
with the sophistication of language in these books.It is both an example of language used in the
authors’ time, as well as a model of use for large and varied words. Sometimes we try to control these factors,
supposing they contribute to high grade level readability, but given rich
content, kids willingly tackle them.A
good example is the series of Harry Potter books that are quite high in
readability, but has an interest level that hooks even very young
children.

As an added bonus, nearly every
book I’ve read has a great story.Just
this week I found a collection of classics in audio-book form.“Anne of Green Gables” is in the car today
and a wonderful read – reminding me of all the books Miss Holte, our rural
school teacher, read to us right after the noon recess and just before
mathematics.

For someone who loves to read, as I
do, there are two lists that merit regular attention.One is the list of books that all students
that are going to college should be reading or have read.The second is the list of the books that make
up children’s classic literature.

I may not ever write a great
American novel, but if I don’t, you can bet I have been reading one.Chances are it was written for children!